Elemental
by roseofthegate
Summary: Team Sheppard goes offworld and finds a mysterious, injured woman, who they bring back to Atlantis. While they were gone a creature is roaming rampant on Atlantis, killing Atlantians left and right. Will they be able to stop it? And who is the mysterio
1. Chapter 1

Title: Elemental

Author: roseofthegate

Disclaimer: I do not own StarGate: Atlantis or any of its characters. I do own my character, who will enter the story later.

A/N: This is my first Atlantis fic that I've actually put up, so lots of feed back would be welcome! Thanks to my totally awesome beta eruannelaviriel. You're the best!

* * *

Chapter One

"Come on, Rodney. You can always come back with a team of your underlings. Let's go!" John Sheppard ordered as he hiked away from the Ancient ruins, which were located in a clearing in a vast forest. "I'm sure that Elizabeth will let you come back, now let's go!" He stopped at the edge of the clearing. Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagen were close behind him. A few minutes later the grumbling subject of Sheppard's orders appeared, and the foursome set out to the StarGate.

As they trekked through the forest, Sheppard noticed a motionless form, half-covered in brush. "What's that?" he asked quietly. Ronon's gun immediately came up as he wearily surveyed the forest, again. Sheppard made his way over, gun raised, and found a wounded woman.

As she felt the brush move around her, her eyes opened, revealing brilliant, emerald pools. "Help…me…pleassss…" she slurred and lost consciousness. There was a shallow gash on her temple, as wells as various bleeding wounds on the rest of her, which were evident by the dark marks on her dark clothes.

Sheppard leaned down to check her pulse; it was shallow and slow, but steady. He looked up at Ronon and Teyla, who both signaled that it was clear. "Rodney," Sheppard hissed at the balding physicist. "Pick up her bag."

"Oh, so now I'm a…" Rodney McKay began.

"Shut up, McKay," Ronon interrupted. The scientist gulped and picked up the satchel. Sheppard gently picked up the injured brunette, shifting his gun so he could still use it if necessary. Luckily, he did not. The group made it to the nearby 'Gate without any interruptions and went back through to Atlantis. They had radioed through about their guest and there was a medical team waiting

* * *

**A few hours earlier**

A team of scientists and military had been exploring the bowels of Atlantis, led by one Doctor Katharine Roth. So far, they hadn't discovered anything of major significance. A gadget here or a trinket there. No plagues or monsters of any sort, yet. They had just finished documenting the latest lab, which was full of what appeared to be the Alteran version of an electrical outlet, which could prove useful.

"Okay, people, let's pack it up and keep going," Dr. Roth ordered. The scientist-part of her team hurried to comply with her orders, while the military stood passively at the doorway; their leader was Major Lorne. After a few minutes of packing up equipment, the group was ready to move on. "Ready, Major?" Dr. Roth asked.

The major inclined his head slightly, and the lights dimmed as the team headed back out into the dim hallway. They moved down the corridor to the next lab on the right. After checking to make sure her team was ready to begin documenting the room, Dr. Roth gave the order to Major Lorne to open the door.

The team went inside, the military men leading the way. The scientists immediately followed and fanned out to take video, etc. of the lab. One of the scientists went over to a large, goldish-tan tube-shaped thing with frosty glass that was covering the top, preventing the contents from being viewed by an outsider. It was obviously the main feature of the lab because it was situated in the middle of the room. He laid his hand on the console before it and the tube came to life. The glassy top of the tube melted away, revealing a creature that was more hideous than anything anyone in the room had ever seen, emerged. Its face had two glowing gold dragon eyes and its nose was composed of two slits, but its head was shaped as a human's head. It had the form and size of a human man and was wearing clothes but its skin was covered with sharp red scales. Its hands were shaped very similarly to a Wraith's; they had the same eye-like feature in the middle as well as long claws on the end of each of its five fingers.

The scientist who had brought it to 'life' looked at it with horror. "What the—?" He never finished his sentence, but his cutoff speech caused everyone in room to look toward where he used to be standing. As they took in the creature, it hissed at them menacingly.

"Everyone out!" Major Lorne ordered, and the scientists hurried to comply. The creature snagged one of them as she tried to get away. Gunfire rang out, but the creature was not the least bit phased. It just looked ticked off as it hissed again.

The Atlantians got out of the lab and closed the door. That did not stop the creature; it opened the door, to the shock of the Atlantians and followed them, menacingly.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please take a moment and tell me what you think! Thanks, Jenn. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Author: roseofthegate

Disclaimer: I do not own a StarGate, StarGate SG-1's characters, StarGate Atlantis' characters, or anything that belongs to the companies that produce both programs. (If I did, there wouldn't be all this cancelling SG-1 business)

A/N: So, I know that it's been forever. AND I'm really, really sorry...life just intervenes. I've barely had time to read fanfiction, let only post...so no promises on when the next chapter's gonna be up. Again, I'm so, so sorry and completely understand it no one reviews. I mean, why review, if you don't now when (or if) I'll update. But I promise I will. It may take some time, but I will.  
I'm in the middle of Exam Week currently, so no more updates this week. Sorry!  
Thank you all so much for reading and please, leave me a review. I'd really appreciate it.

* * *

"What happened here, Doc?" Sheppard asked Carson Beckett after he saw how full the beds were in the Infirmary. 

The Scot was about to reply when the woman on the bed coughed weakly. She was the one that Sheppard's team had brought back through the 'Gate. Beckett rushed over to her side. "Hello, there. Would ya like some water?"

"Yes, please." Her voice was raspy and faint. Sheppard, noting that she was awake, called Dr. Elizabeth Weir over the comm and asked her to come to the Infirmary. Weir arrived quickly, with a worried look on her face.

"What is it, John?" she asked.

"Our guest has just woken up. I thought you would be interested in finding out who she is with me?" Sheppard answered, not missing the worried look on Weir's face.

Weir nodded and the two approached the bed contain the woman. Beckett was still there, talking quietly with her. As they approached, he introduced them. "This is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the leader of this City, and Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard."

The brunette smiled at them hesitantly. "Hello, I'm Ja'quena de Lutz."

"It's good to meet you, Ja'quena," Weir said. "Would you mind answering some questions?"

A look of trepidation passed through Ja'quena's emerald eyes, but she replied, "What would you like to know?"

Sheppard started, "How did you sustain those injuries?"

She closed her eyes briefly; her long eyelashes were dark against her pale cheeks. "It's a rather complicated story, but if you insist upon hearing it, I will try to make it as simple as possible." Her speech was careful and cautious.

"We do insist," Sheppard said, and Ja'quena continued.

"My father died when I was very young, so my mother and I had to find ways to survive, to earn enough money to keep our farm running and pay for my younger brother's education. However, on my wor—homeworld, women are not allowed to hold any job that has a salary that will support a family. So…after searching for job for quite some time I was approached by a trading company. They offered me a job as an undercover operative. I was to go to check on people who had borrowed money from the company and make sure that they were working toward paying off that debt. That was it. But people caught onto what I was doing, and were outraged. After I had an encounter with the town bullies, they ran me out of my town. I fled to the Ring of the Ancestors and to the first address I could think of and passed out, I think. I honestly don't know where I was when I passed out. Did you find me?"

"I did," Sheppard said shortly. "My team and I brought you back here and Doctor Beckett here's been takin' care of you."

"Thank you. I don't want to impose on you any longer. If I could have my clothing and bag back, I'll be out of your way."

"Not yet," Beckett injected. "Elizabeth, some of her injuries need more tendin' to, she canna leave yet."

"Well," Elizabeth began, "if that's the case, I guess you will be with us for a little bit longer, Ja'quena. Now, if you'll excuse Colonel Sheppard and me?"

"Of course," Ja'quena said and leaned back against her bed.

Weir and Sheppard walked out of the Infirmary together. "Does her story seem reasonable?" Elizabeth asked Sheppard.

"Reasonable enough. What happened while we were gone?" Sheppard asked, as he loosened a strap on his vest; he hadn't had the chance to change out of his mission clothes yet.

Elizabeth sobered. "We had a team of scientists and military exploring Atlantis, remember?

"Right. Led by Major Lorne and Dr. Katharine Roth. What happened?" Sheppard replied.

"They were documenting a lab and one of the scientists activated something, a stasis tube, we think, which released a creature that killed every member of that team except for Major Lorne and Dr. Roth. The thing is, those two were on the verge of being attacked and it turned away after inspecting them. And get this: they were the only two members of the team with the ATA gene."

"Wait a minute. We have a rampant killing machine on Atlantis, and I wasn't informed until now?!?" Sheppard exploded. "Elizabeth!"

"John…calm down please. I've had the _Daedalus_ and the puddle jumpers take all personnel who don't have the ATA gene at all to the main land. It's just a temporary fix, but hopefully they're out of danger."

"Can we track this thing? What's it doing?" Sheppard asked.

"I put Rodney on figuring out how to track that thing as soon as he got back. I don't know what it's doing. It doesn't eat the people it kills; it just kills them, just like a Wraith does." Elizabeth replied.

"Dr. Weir?" her radio chirped.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Dr. Weir? This is Major Lorne. I have some bad news…Dr. Roth was just found, dead. She appears to have been killed by the creature."

* * *

A/N: Please click the little purple button! Jenn


End file.
